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The resolve of the Bangladesh batsmen has been under question in recent times, and some more arose after the early dismissals in both sessions, but Tamim Iqbal’s restrained half-century kept a disciplined Zimbabwe at bay in Khulna

The Report by Alagappan Muthu03-Nov-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTamim Iqbal chose substance over style to record his longest Test innings•AFPThe resolve of the Bangladesh batsmen has been under question in recent times, and some more arose after early dismissals in the first two sessions, but Tamim Iqbal’s restrained half-century kept a disciplined Zimbabwe at bay in Khulna.A strike-rate of 29.60 is not often associated with Tamim; none of his previous 20 fifty-plus scores have come that slowly. He tried hard not to be sucked into off-side traps, and a majority of his runs came when the bowlers were frustrated into bowling too straight at him. It wasn’t quite a chanceless innings though. He was beaten when the errant drive on the up made an appearance and a ripper from Malcolm Waller took the shoulder of his bat, but the keeper couldn’t convert the chance. But those lapses only steeled him further. He collected 72 runs for the second wicket with Mominul Haque and 95 for the third with Mahmudullah.Bangladesh were watchful by default, but they needed that approach against Natsai M’shangwe, the debutant legspinner, who combined drift with turn. The pitch afforded him another weapon in the form of variable bounce. He was particularly threatening against Mahmudullah, whose eagerness to drive through the covers had him playing and missing. But M’shangwe’s control against left-handers was not as consistent, and he was left still searching for a maiden Test wicket. He was tiring as well, having bowled all of his 24 overs continuously with only the lunch and tea breaks to replenish him.With M’shangwe needing rest, Zimbabwe hoped to exploit a slow and turning pitch with their part-time spinners but Mahmudullah had settled down – he was comfortable spending 25 overs without a boundary before his fourth four during a dogged fifty – and Tamim weathered cramps on his right hand to keep the visitors at bay. The 250-ball effort was his longest Test innings.Zimbabwe recognised the importance of the new ball on a flat pitch and worked the batsmen in the off-stump corridor. The ploy had dragged Shamsur Rahman a little too far across and the change-up inswinger from Elton Chigumbura halted him in his tracks. The batsman was struck below the knee-roll while on the move and was reprieved by umpire Billy Bowden, but not by DRS. A similar delivery did Mahmudullah with the second new ball.Half of the first 10 overs were maidens, and two of those on the run preceded the wicket-taking over, but Bangladesh did well not to fall prey to a stagnant scoreboard. The pitch held enough moisture for the seamers to justify the caution from Mominul and Tamim. And the odd ball zipping past the outside edge of a drive on the up was enough of a reminder for them not to worry about a run-rate of 2.13 in the morning. The rate at the end of the day was 2.14.The seamers hoped to unsettle the batsmen with the odd scrambled-seam delivery. Tinashe Panyangara succeeded in getting a back-of-a-length ball to hold up on the pitch and Mominul’s punch ended up as a return catch in the ninth over after lunch. Zimbabwe would have been doubly pleased with that wicket considering they did not review an lbw shout against Mominul from M’shangwe that HawkEye revealed would have hit the stumps.Not that Bangladesh’s natural instincts were completely subdued. Tamim unfurled a stunning cover drive against Chigumbura in the 12th over and one of a similar class in the 79th. Mahmudullah displayed his range when he raced down the track to loft M’shangwe over his head and then leaped back against Waller to crack him through the covers.Brendan Taylor, the Zimbabwe captain, will hope his men can follow the hosts’ example, especially after he had bolstered his batting line-up at the cost of a bowler. John Nyumbu, the offspinner, had bowled only 16 overs in the first Test and was dropped in favour of Waller. Brian Chari, with an average of 20.62 in 23 first-class matches, got a Test debut and forced Vusi Sibanda to the sidelines. M’shangwe was a straight swap for Tafadzwa Kamungozi.Bangladesh sat Al-Amin Hossain aside for the local boy Rubel Hossain, but the more marked change was in how their batsmen ground the opposition down over by over by over.

MS Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings captain, has put his side’s crushing loss to Mumbai Indians down to a lack of focus following their seven-game winning streak in IPL 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-2013MS Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings captain, has put his side’s crushing loss to Mumbai Indians down to a lack of focus following their seven-game winning streak in IPL 2013. The batting in the chase of 140, Dhoni said, was “a comedy of errors”.”Before the match our coach Stephen Fleming was a bit worried about us being complacent. I think that was on the cards after winning seven games in a row. Mentally we were not into this game at all,” Dhoni said after the game. “We should have got 140. There was a comedy of errors, especially, in the batting department.”Super Kings folded for the lowest score in IPL 2013, bowled out for 79 in the 16th over. The Mumbai Indians bowlers were very efficient, but several of the batsmen threw away their wickets. While it was a nightmare evening for the team, Dhoni said he was happy they were shaken up at this stage of the tournament. “I think it was a good wake-up call for us,” he said. “With a few more games to go, we got it at the right time.”Coach Fleming reflected Dhoni’s thoughts: “It was the first day in the tournament which we would like to forget. I guess the positive part about this defeat is that it happened now. Four more games are left [for Super Kings in the round-robin stage] and it’s a pretty long tournament to maintain your standards.”But winning seven in a row was a pretty good effort. The nature of the competition is such that it [winning eight consecutive games] has not been done before. There is a reason for that because getting up every day, performing well and being consistent is tough work. Today we were not just good enough to do that.””There was a comedy of errors, especially, in the batting department.”•BCCIBoth Dhoni and Fleming agreed that Super Kings’ bowlers did a good job. “The way we started the match was fantastic. We also got wickets at regular intervals,” Dhoni said. “[Dwayne] Bravo bowled really well. It was a mistake on my part that I didn’t give him another over. Having said that, death bowling still remains a concern.”Fleming said the pitch was a bit different from the usual offerings in the IPL, but that did not justify his team’s implosion. “It was a little different to what we have been playing on. The spongy nature of the Mumbai wicket made stroking the ball a bit difficult. There wasn’t a lot of sideways movement or lot of spin. Just the nature of the bounce was a bit different to any other pitch. But that’s not an excuse for being bowled out for 70-odd.”For the second time in the tournament, R Ashwin received a rather baffling promotion up the order. In the game against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, Ashwin opened with Super Kings chasing 120. Here, with Super Kings 18 for 4, he came out at No. 6 ahead of Dhoni. Fleming said that decision was taken to try to stabilise the innings before the finishers came in. “Ashwin is a capable bat. The most important thing was stopping the wickets.”In not chasing a big total, it did not matter wasting two-three overs. We have faith in Ashwin and thought if he can get a 10 to 20-run partnership going with Hussey it may change the game with the likes of Dhoni and [Ravindra] Jadeja to come.”

Michael Klinger’s century ensured Gloucestershire had no trouble in chasing 188 to beat Leicestershire by nine wickets at Grace Road, their first win of the season

03-May-2013Gloucestershire 280 (Taylor 61, Freckingham 4-69) and 191 for 1 (Klinger 103*, Dent 71) beat Leicestershire 250 (Thakor 75, Howell 5-57) and 217 (W Gidman 4-39) by nine wickets
ScorecardMichael Klinger, seen here for Worcestershire last season, steered Gloucestershire home•Getty ImagesAustralian Michael Klinger hit his first County Championship century to lead Gloucestershire to a nine-wicket victory on the final day at Grace Road.After surviving a tricky first half-hour, openers Klinger and Chris Dent shared a stand of 129 to ensure there would be no major problems chasing a target of 188.Dent was out for 71 to the last ball before lunch but Klinger hit the winning runs and reached his century at the same time with his 16th boundary. He was unbeaten on 103 from 172 balls.It was Gloucestershire’s first win of the season and earned them 21 points, while Leicestershire collected five as they slipped to their first defeat of the season following drawn games against Hampshire and Kent.With Gloucestershire starting the day on 16 for 0, Leicestershire needed to take early wickets if they were to have any chance of snatching an unlikely victory. Pacemen Ollie Freckingham and Robbie Williams bowled well without any luck early on a slow pitch starting to show signs of uneven bounce.Both batsmen played and missed on several occasions and three times the ball flashed through the slip cordon down to the vacant third-man boundary. But as the shine went off the ball, the sting went out of the bowling, and both Klinger and Dent began to play with far more confidence and assurance.Dent was the first to reach his 50 off 68 balls with eight fours and Gloucestershire captain, Klinger, brought up the 100 partnership with a well-timed square drive to the boundary off Freckingham.A neat late cut off Michael Thornely saw Klinger reach his 50 off 100 balls, and Leicestershire’s frustrating morning was summed up when Josh Cobb put down an easy slip catch offered by Dent off Jigar Naik’s off spin.Naik gained some revenge by having Dent lbw with the last ball before lunch. But Klinger remained in good touch, straight driving Claude Henderson for a six before square cutting another boundary off Shiv Thakor to reach his landmark century and clinch victory.

Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland has said the second Test in Hyderabad next week is not in doubt at this stage, despite bombs in the city killing at least 12 people on Thursday night

Brydon Coverdale in Chennai21-Feb-2013Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland has said the second Test in Hyderabad next week is not in doubt at this stage, despite bombs in the city killing at least 12 people on Thursday night. The BCCI too confirmed that the Test should go ahead as usual and is unlikely to have a change of venue.The twin blasts came on the eve of the first Test between Australia and India in Chennai, and the teams are due to travel to Hyderabad on Wednesday ahead of the second Test.The bombs hit the Dilsukhnagar region of Hyderabad about ten minutes apart and were labelled “a dastardly attack” by India’s prime minister Manmohan Singh. Sutherland, who is in Chennai, said on Friday morning that he had spoken to a BCCI official on Thursday night and the two organisations would work together to assess the security situation.”It is sad news overnight,” Sutherland said. “From our perspective the focus around the team is very much on this Test in Chennai, everyone is very comfortable here in terms of the security arrangements in place. The players are focused on what they have ahead of them.”We will take advice from relevant authorities and work with the BCCI and others here to make assessments around Hyderabad, but at the same time plans have been in place for a long time and at this stage I wouldn’t be calling into question things going ahead in Hyderabad as planned.”BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla confirmed that the Indian board had approached government officials regarding security in Hyderabad.”I spoke to the Union home secretary [Sushil Kumar Shinde], who was in Hyderabad, and had a discussion with the chief minister [Kiran Kumar Reddy] and officials of the state government. After that he told me that adequate security will be provided to the players as well as the spectators. So Test match should not be shifted out of Hyderabad,” Shukla was quoted as saying by . “I have conveyed this to the BCCI president [N Srinivasan], who in turn is going to speak to chairman of Cricket Australia and convey that when government is giving a guarantee of security for the players and the spectators, we think we should not change the venue.”Australia’s team manager Gavin Dovey spoke to the players and kept them up to date with developments, but Sutherland said they wanted to ensure they could remain focused on the Chennai Test.”We don’t hold anything back from the players, they know where everything is at,” Sutherland said. “But at the same time they have expressed a desire to be focused and minimise this so that they can focus on cricket this week.”We will work together with the players and the players’ association on these sorts of issues. There is a high level of confidence among the group that the management will work through that. We will communicate openly and make assessments … As far as I’m concerned we’re playing the second Test match in Hyderabad next week.”Sutherland said Cricket Australia had great confidence in the BCCI’s ability to deal with security issues on a day-to-day basis. Shortly before departing for the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Australia’s captain Michael Clarke said his players were happy to be guided by the team’s security experts.”From the team’s point of view, our focus is wholly and solely on the field because we’ve got people off the field who are experts in what is going on, we’ll be advised by them,” Clarke said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all the people of Hyderabad who have been affected.”03.25GMT, February 22: This story has been updated with the latest quotes from James Sutherland

Stuart Broad, looking sharp and contented again, ripped out New Zealand’s tail to finish with six wickets and secure a first-innings lead of 211 for England

The Report by David Hopps15-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsStuart Broad cleaned up New Zealand with six wickets•Getty ImagesStuart Broad, looking sharp and contented again, ripped out New Zealand’s tail to finish with six wickets and secure a first-innings lead of 211 for England. Alastair Cook faced a tricky decision at tea about whether to enforce the follow-on. Understandably, he opted to put New Zealand in again; an unsettled weather forecast, particularly on the final day, must have been a decisive factor.For his own sanity, it is to be hoped that Cook did not follow-up by studying when England last enforced the follow-on in an overseas Test: Durban in 1999, with Gary Kirsten marking the end of the old millennium by making an unbeaten 275 out of 572 for 7. England tried nine bowlers, including Nasser Hussain, a repentant captain.In seeking to avoid unsettled weather, Cook instead had to oversee an unsettled England pace attack, which was underpowered second time around, with James Anderson, ankle strapped, grumbling wearily about the footholds and labouring with a sore back.England’s only wicket in 33 overs fell to Monty Panesar, a scintillating catch around the corner by Ian Bell to dismiss Hamish Rutherford, and cheering as well for the new vice-captain, Matt Prior, who held up the game to press for the position. Panesar, for all his economy, will hope to find more turn as the match progresses.Broad finished with 6 for 51, his third-best figures in his Test career. His pace was around 135kph, but his control was immaculate and there was a zing in everything he did. This was Broad Total, exploring the cavities in New Zealand’s line-up and freshening the air with optimism. He was a walking advertisement for the benefits of England’s rotation policy and they will be desperate that his mood persists through back-to-back Ashes series.Brendon McCullum was the key wicket for England, dismissed for 69 from 94 balls as he forced Steven Finn off the back foot and offered a comfortable catch to Jonathan Trott at second slip. In a Test distinguished by fine counter-attacking cricket by two excellent wicketkeeper-batsmen, McCullum played just as pugnaciously as Prior had for England on the second day.Smart stats

Stuart Broad’s 6 for 51 is eighth on the list of best bowling performances by England bowlers in New Zealand since 1970. It is however the best bowling performance by an England bowler in Wellington in the same period.

Broad’s 6 for 51 is his third-best bowling performance overall and his best in away Tests. In 25 away matches he has picked up 68 wickets at 35.70.

The 100-run stand between Brendon McCullum and BJ Watling is the eighth-highest sixth-wicket stand for New Zealand against England. It is also New Zealand’s second-highest sixth-wicket stand against England in Wellington.

In Tests played in New Zealand since 1970, England have gained a 200-plus lead on five occasions. It is the third such occasion in Wellington. Click here for the list of matches when England have batted first and here for a list of matches when they have bowled first.

Watling’s 60 is his fifth fifty-plus score in Tests and his third such score in home matches. He now averages 32.66 with one century and four fifties.

McCullum’s 69 is his eighth half-century against England in 11 Tests. He has also been dismissed twice in the nineties against England (both at Lord’s).

Basin Reserve was full for a Test, the first time that had happened in New Zealand for several years. It helps when the capacity is only around 11,000 and there are several thousand England supporters in town to help persuade the locals that there is a game on worth watching.Packed to the brim, the ground had a more intimate atmosphere than ever. The strong second-day breeze had also lessened, adding to the convivial feel as spectators strolled around. But New Zealand supporters only had to glance at the scoreboard for this sense of well-being to depart. England are well placed to go 1-0 up in the series unless Cyclone Sandra – or perhaps Hurricane Brendon – has a say in things.New Zealand, 66 for 3 overnight, needed another 200 to avoid the follow-on. They had produced much to admire on the second day, only to find themselves well behind the game by the close. They were even further behind the game at 89 for 5 when Kane Williamson and Dean Brownlie fell in the first half hour.Broad was given an immediate opportunity after his wickets of Rutherford and Ross Taylor had allowed England to finish the second day on a high. Williamson looked well drilled, at 22 a decent batsman in the making, but fell to a sharp reaction catch in his follow-through by Broad, who clung on around chest high and looked delighted at the realisation that the ball was nestling in his hand.Three balls later, Brownlie followed. He is a fine back-foot player, but there is a length to bowl to Brownlie, as South Africa can also testify after New Zealand’s recent tour, a length when he routinely plays back when he would be better forward. Anderson found it, and found some reverse inswing to defeat his defensive shot. Asad Rauf’s lbw decision was marginal because the ball had struck Brownlie just above the roll, and the batsman opted for a review, only for DRS to conclude that the ball would have clipped the top of middle.It would have been 95 for 6 if Cook had not been such a conservative captain. Evidence of this match suggests that McCullum, his opposite number, would have posted a third slip to Anderson but Cook did not. Watling edged at inviting height, and the ball scooted away to the third man boundary.McCullum’s solution soon became evident. Beaten on the outside edge by Broad, he crashed his next ball for four and then hooked him for six. The pressure built by Panesar at one end was released by Finn at the other. McCullum took advantage and reverse-swept Joe Root to reach his fifty shortly before lunch.Anderson ‘s strenuous efforts after lunch went unrewarded. England lost a review for an lbw appeal in the first over after lunch when McCullum was on 58. They chose not to review when Anderson came close again the following over and then had Watling, on 21, dropped low at second slip by Trott. When McCullum fell, New Zealand still needed 77 to avoid the follow-on with four wickets remaining. Tim Southee soon followed, unwisely hooking Finn with two fielders back for the shot.Watling had been very much the junior partner in a stand of 100 in 31 overs with McCullum. While McCullum bristled against the quicks, Watling’s passive resistance against Panesar provided a monotonous undercard. Only when McCullum was dismissed did he grow in ambition, reaching 60 before he edged Broad to the wicketkeeper.Neil Wagner became Broad’s fifth victim, caught at the wicket for nought. New Zealand’s last pair were 12 short of the follow-on mark when Broad’s bouncer befuddled Trent Boult, whose fend confused Panesar at mid-on even more. Broad, unusually when things go wrong, saw fit to smile and defeated Boult’s haymaker with his next delivery to end the innings.

Mohammad Hafeez’s elbow extension went as far as 31 degrees under testing, according to an ICC report obtained by ESPNcricinfo

Umar Farooq08-Dec-2014Results of over-by-over testing from the report

First over, offspin around the wicket: Average elbow extension 28 degrees
Second over, offspin around the wicket: Average elbow extension 27 degrees
Third over, offspin over the wicket: Average elbow extension 27 degrees
Fourth over, offspin around the wicket: Average elbow extension 26 degrees

Mohammad Hafeez’s elbow extension went as far as 31 degrees under testing, according to an ICC report obtained by ESPNcricinfo.A bowler is allowed a maximum elbow extension – the extent to which he bends and straightens his elbow while delivering the ball – of 15 degrees, and the report notes that during the test conducted on November 24, every delivery Hafeez bowled was above the permissible limit.The test was conducted by five biomechanics experts, including three PhD students from the Loughborough University, in the presence of ICC representative Ben Leaver, and the coach advisor Karl Krikken. The report stated: “The bowler appeared to emulate his match-bowling action during the assessment. Between the upper-arm-horizontal and ball release, the bowler extended his elbow by well over 15 degrees during all deliveries.”The report concluded that the average range of elbow extension was 27 degrees, with a relatively small standard deviation of three degrees. His average upper-arm horizontal flex was recorded at 23 degrees, while the maximum elbow flexion was found to be between 26 and 27 degrees.According to the report, Hafeez was only tested for his stock delivery, and bowled regular offspin from both round and over the wicket. He delivered a total of 24 balls, of which three were discarded due to a wrong line and length.Hafeez, 34, had been reported for a suspect action after the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi as the umpires were concerned about the legality of four of his deliveries – 28.4 and 51.4 on day three, and 29.5 and 33.4 on day four. He had earlier run into trouble for his action during the Champions League T20, being reported by the umpires after Lahore Lions’ game against Dolphins in Bangalore.Before the tests, Hafeez had stated that he was confident he would overcome the scrutiny on his action. He, however, also emphasized that he had never viewed himself as much of a bowler, and that he was focussed on his batting in international cricket.

Centuries from Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels set up a comfortable win for West Indies

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran07-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels both made centuries to power West Indies to 315•WICBIt is a rarity these days for West Indies to enter a series as overwhelming favourites but it hasn’t taken them long to show how much of a gulf exists between them and New Zealand. On the same Sabina Park track on which New Zealand stuttered to 190 two days ago, West Indies bludgeoned 315 in the second ODI. It was a more comfortable win than the 55-run margin suggests, and despite BJ Watling’s enterprising innings, New Zealand never really threatened to pull off a win.Contrasting centuries from local heroes Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels kept the Jamaican crowd entertained in the morning, as the innings unfolded with the noisy chorus of vuvuzelas in the background.In the blockbuster , the police chief memorably deadpans, “We are going to need a bigger boat,” on seeing the giant killer shark for the first time. International bowlers will have similar sentiments on seeing Chris Gayle walk out to bat. Once again he made a cricket ground seem tiny as he hit nine sixes in another exhibition of his ability to make power-hitting look effortless.With his father, sister and several other family members watching, Gayle destroyed New Zealand’s listless bowling to reach his 20th ODI hundred, a new West Indian record as he went past the great Brian Lara’s tally. It was also his fifth fifty-plus score in six innings since his international exile ended last month.New Zealand’s bowlers were looking to exploit some of the early morning moisture in the track, but their only success was dismissing Lendl Simmons. He fell for his sixth successive score under 20 after returning to the West Indies side, chasing an away-going delivery from Tim Southee in the fourth over. Any hopes of keeping the batsmen under pressure were swiftly and brutally dashed. In the next over, Gayle launched New Zealand’s bowling spearhead Kyle Mills for three sixes over mid-off.Though he repeatedly dispatched the ball into the stands, Gayle’s innings was not all slam-bang. There was plenty of discretion as he regularly let deliveries go through to the keeper or watchfully defended them. When he did decide to attack, his shots were almost always in the V, unlike the Twenty20-era slogger’s preferred thwack to midwicket.After the early punishment, New Zealand’s quicker bowlers adapted their line to Gayle, targetting the middle and leg stump as they managed to slow him down a touch. Still, there were the gentle offerings of an array of part-time slow bowlers for Gayle to feast on. A murderous straight hit off Daniel Flynn took him to 98, and a tickle down to fine leg for four off Kane Williamson in the 30th over brought up his century. He did a celebratory jig, before sinking to his knees with his hands aloft as the Jamaican crowd cheered their biggest cricketing idol.Gayle had plenty of time to go on past his career-best score of 153, but in the 38th over, one of his shots – finally – didn’t carry past the rope, landing instead in the hands of deep midwicket. That only allowed the other Jamaican batting star, Marlon Samuels, to take centrestage.Unlike Gayle’s boundary-filled innings, Samuels’ knock was more about the singles – taking 51 of them, and even pushing Gayle to come back for several quick twos. Though Samuels didn’t maintain as high a strike-rate as Gayle, he wasn’t too far off a run-a-ball. He reached his half-century off 57 deliveries, though he had hit only a couple of fours and a six.Even when Samuels started finding the boundaries regularly, there was a marked difference to the Gayle style – three consecutive cover-driven fours off Tim Southee in the 39th over were all about timing and placement, and little about power-hitting.Two of West Indies’ middle-order powerhouses, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, failed to make an impact, and New Zealand managed to shackle the scoring as Samuels slowed down in sight of the century. Samuels scored only in singles in the last seven overs of the innings before finally reaching his first ODI hundred since 2006 in the final over. Despite Darren Sammy’s quickfire 31, West Indies gathered only 33 runs in the final five overs, but the total still proved far too much for the inexperienced New Zealand batsmen.The chase got off to a reasonable, though not explosive, start. Rob Nicol fell early after hitting a couple of boundaries, Daniel Flynn played an edgy innings before departing in the 12th over with the score on 62. New Zealand then lost momentum as Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson struggled to pull off the big hits. When Guptill was dismissed midway through the innings, the asking-rate was nearing eight, and the game looked lost.Williamson and Watling tried to revive the innings through a quick 70-run stand, but though both compiled half-centuries, they had too much to do. Williamson was done in by a full swinging ball from Rampaul in the 37th over virtually ending the contest, though Watling improved his highest score in ODIs for the second game in a row and kept fighting till the end.

South Africa represent the toughest test of England’s credentials as the No. 1 ranked Test side, according to James Anderson

George Dobell at The Oval17-Jul-2012South Africa represent the toughest test of England’s credentials as the No. 1 ranked Test side, according to James Anderson. However, Anderson insisted that, while in the past England may have allowed the pressure of such a high-profile series to affect their performance, they now had the weapons and the confidence to overcome the tourists.While some may question Anderson’s short-term memory – England were tested pretty thoroughly in the UAE and failed to find the correct answers – there is some truth in his words. England have won seven Test series in a row at home, with South Africa the last side to defeat them, in 2008. Whatever their problems in Asia or the Middle East, England remain a formidable side in their own conditions.”We’ve been playing really well at home, but this is going to be our toughest challenge for a while,” Anderson said. “But we are still confident going into it. We think we have the necessary weapons to be able to beat them. That’s the way we go into most series; thinking we are going to win.”There’s not going to be time to ease into the series. We’re going to have to be on top of our game from the first minute. It’s going to be an intense few weeks and it’s good that they’re not going to be back to back Tests, as it’s going to be really hard cricket. It’s two of the best teams in the world. They are a strong team, they have played well in England before, we lost the last series here to them so it will be really interesting.”In the past, maybe, the pressure might have got to me in particular, maybe a few other guys. But now it’s more exciting. You want to play in big games. You want to test yourself against the best in the world, which is going to happen in this next few weeks.”Essentially my job is the same as it has been for the last 12, 18, 24 months. I have to go out there and set the tone, take the first over and try and bowl as accurately as I can for long periods of time. There might be a bit of added pressure because it’s a bigger test for us. And there might be more patience needed as they are renown for being resilient and for soaking up pressure better than most other countries. So we realise that and it’s exciting more than anything as you’re testing yourself against the best in the world. They have four batsmen in the top 10 in the world and it’s really exciting as a bowler to be able to challenge yourself against batsmen like that.”England have one selection issue to resolve. The identity of the third seamer remains unclear, with Steven Finn, in particular, pressing hard for inclusion ahead of Tim Bresnan. If Bresnan is fully fit – and it is open to debate whether he has ever recovered full pace since undergoing elbow surgery in early December – then his superior batting will ensure his selection. If Bresnan is unable to hit the bat as hard as he used to in net sessions over the next 24 hours, however, Finn may yet still play. It is a strong side that can afford to omit such a fast bowler.Bresnan is one of three England players to receive injections in recent days. He has had a saline injection in his elbow, Matt Prior had a similar injection in both Achilles tendons and Graeme Swann had a cortisone injection in his elbow. All three are expected to be fit, though their treatment does underline the sense that the demands on this England squad are overly onerous. These players cannot be patched up indefinitely.The one other area that England might have concerns is their catching. Both in recent Tests and ODIs they have squandered a worrying number of chances in the slips, at gully and at point. It is, arguably, an area in which they have been weak since the departure of Paul Collingwood and, in a tight contest and against a daunting batting line-up, they know they cannot afford to reprieve the likes of Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis or AB de Villiers.”It happens like that sometimes,” Anderson said. “You go through stages of dropping catches, there’s no science behind it. We practice as hard as ever and go into the match confident of being able to catch the ball. We realise that a spectacular one-handed catch might be a huge partnership breaker and a match-turning thing, so we practise really hard for those situations and hopefully we can hold on to the ball this week.”Anderson dismissed the idea that speculation over Kevin Pietersen’s future would distract England. Pietersen, who indicated last week that he would be prepared to retract his limited-overs retirement if a compromise could be reached over his international schedule, may well remain the focus of discussion outside the dressing room but, in it at least, the issue will not be discussed.”Now we’ve met up as a Test side, we’re going to concentrate completely on it and get ready for first thing on Thursday,” Anderson said. “There’s often headlines around players – some more than others – so that comes with the job. Like I said, that’s left outside our little bubble in the dressing room. We just talk about what we’re going to do on Thursday.”The Pietersen issue will continue to fester, though. Not only are England set to name their 30-man preliminary squad for the World Twenty20 on Wednesday – a squad in which Pietersen will be noticeable by his absence – but because there is an outside possibility that this could be his last Test series.That remains an unlikely scenario. While Pietersen has requested permission to play a whole season of IPL in 2013 – a request that is certain to be refused – that does not mean he will decline the offer of a central contract this autumn. His desire to play Test cricket, and the Ashes in particular, remains strong. Pietersen, it should be noted, has just set up his own cricket school. Presumably it will be a school with long holidays.It is also worth reflecting on the source of recent leaks about Pietersen and their purpose: at the end of last week Pietersen was emerging as a more sympathetic figure; a highly-talented player who was keen to spend more time with his family and prolong his career through periods of rest. Now, after the suggestion that his real intention was simply to play more IPL, much of the sympathy for Pietersen has evaporated.In that light, Anderson’s comments about the ECB’s handling of the situation were intriguing.”The ECB have been very good at handling a lot of situations,” Anderson said. “They’ve got much better in the last few years at handling certain situations. They’ve handled it brilliantly at the minute and I’m sure they’ll continue to do that and I’ll leave them to do that.”Generally when Kevin is making the headlines he tends to play very well. So hopefully he’ll continue the form he’s shown this summer and get us some big runs we’ll need in the middle order.”

VRV Singh, the Punjab fast bowler, marked his return to first-class cricket after an absence of five years with a five-wicket haul against Haryana in Lahli

Devashish Fuloria28-Nov-2013VRV Singh, the Punjab fast bowler, marked his return to first-class cricket after an absence of five years with a five-wicket haul against Haryana in Lahli. He last featured in a first-class match in the 2007-08 season, taking ten wickets in North Zone’s Duleep Trophy triumph, but a series of injuries – first to the foot and the ankle, then a more serious one to the back – threatened to cut his career short.”It feels great, because that’s (playing cricket) what I wanted to do,” VRV Singh told ESPNcricinfo after the first day’s play in Lahli. “Hopefully, I can continue the performance as we go forward in the season.”During his prolonged absence from first-class cricket, VRV Singh did play a handful of domestic T20s, the last one in March 2012, almost a year after his back surgery, but then he disappeared again. On Thursday, bowling in top-flight domestic cricket for the first time in 20 months, he didn’t look like the fittest cricketer, but then as coach Bhupinder Singh Sr had said at the start of the season, he proved to be the “surprise package”. VRV Singh made the batsmen play and got rewards, bowling a spell of 16-4-38-5.”I had some issues with my back, on which I had undergone surgery in the past,” he said. “I was recovering from it and was working on my fitness. Early September, I started playing a few one-day matches in the local tournaments.”His return was carefully managed, according to Bhupinder, because the team didn’t want to rush VRV’s re-entry. He performed well in the last two matches of the inter-district tournament one month prior to the Ranji season, but Bhupinder said the team wanted to start with an attack that did well in the previous season.”There are always question marks on fitness when you don’t have much cricket behind you,” Bhupinder said. “That’s why we wanted to be very sure that the ones we take in should last the entire season. We played some practice matches and he [VRV Singh] did well, so we hoped he would last the whole season.””He is a good bowler and he is coming back from injury after three years. He bowled tight lines and it was a good performance. I am happy for him.”VRV Singh, who has played five Tests for India, said the last few years had been tough, but he was hoping to find his groove. “I was ready for the struggle, that’s what you have to do if you want to play cricket. It was just a start today and as we go forward, hopefully the rhythm, fitness and the pace will improve further.”

A round-up of the second day’s play of the seventh round of matches of the Ranji Trophy Elite, 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2011Group AFor the second day in a row, eighteen wickets fell at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. With two more days to go, Saurashtra brightened their hopes for a knockout berth by setting a target of 247 and then reducing Railways to 97 for 6.Railways, reeling overnight at 71 for 8, could only add a further ten runs in their first-innings. Subsequently Saurashtra, sitting on a comfortable lead of 94, failed for the second time in succession as they mustered a meagre 152, but the target set seemed to be enough going into the third day.With the exception of Ravindra Jadeja, who played late to top score with 45, the visitors showed the same lack of application as that of the Railways’ batsmen. Luckily it did not hurt Saurashtra so much as Kamlesh Makvana ripped apart the Railways’ batting order in their second innings with his fastish offbreaks, which fetched him his fifth five-for in first-class cricket. There was not much hope for Railways when senior batsmen like Sanjay Bangar and Shivakant Shukla gave away their wickets by charging out to Makvana.The Railways coach Abhay Sharma, however, didn’t blame the nature of the pitch for the slew of wickets. “Some of our batsmen played bad shots. I don’t think the curator is responsible in any way. When you have a three-day gap between two matches, a curator could have hardly done anything,” Sharma said. “In northern India, it’s difficult to water the pitch as it might remain wet and also you can’t just use the roller on a dry pitch.”Orissa were staring at a big first-innings deficit as they ended on 76 for 6 in reply to Rajasthan’s 423 in Jaipur. Robin Bist’s unbeaten 127 and Puneet Yadav’s 63 were instrumental in Rajasthan getting to an imposing score. The pair added 124 for the fifth wicket before Yadav was caught behind by Alok Mangaraj. The 24-year-old Bist, originally from Delhi, continued till he ran out of partners, hitting 16 fours in his knock. This is his fourth century in five matches for Bist, who at 829 runs is the top run-maker of season so far. Basanth Mohanty finished with 4 for 104.Rajasthan’s Pankaj Singh then made early inroads with the ball before Sumit Mathur, instrumental in Rajasthan’s victory against Saurashtra last week, took three wickets in five overs to leave the visitors in trouble. With Orissa still adrift by 347 runs, the defending champions would like the enforce the follow-on and try and go for an innings victory to get the bonus points and keep alive the chance of a knockout berth for second year in a row. If they do manage to do that, Rajasthan would have to thank Bist a lot. “This has been my best season in Ranji Trophy. Before this season, I had just one Ranji century. Now, I have five,” Bist told the at the end of the second day’s play.Wasim Jaffer became the highest run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy and, along with the belligerent Suryakumar Yadav, steered Mumbai past Punjab’s first-innings total during a typically elegant knock. Punjab toiled all day but were blunted by Mumbai’s ultra-defensive approach in the first session, and later by Jaffer’s and Yadav’s aggression. With Saurashtra and Rajasthan in strong positions in their games, Punjab’s chances of making the quarter-finals were slim. Read the full report here.The second day’s play in Shimoga followed the course of the first, as Uttar Pradesh mirrored Karnataka’s batting effort to finish 39 runs short of the first-innings lead, with four wickets standing. Like their Karnataka counterparts on day one, UP built a solid base in the morning, only to lose wickets in a clump in the lead-up to tea. Like Stuart Binny on the first day, Mohammad Kaif battled through the slump, before stalling it with a dogged seventh-wicket stand. Read the full report here.Group BTamil Nadu strengthened their position against Madhya Pradesh in Chennai, with Dinesh Karthik scoring 156 – his second century in as many games – to take the team to 486. The hosts then consolidated their position by sending the vistors’ top order comprising Naman Ojha, Mohnish Mishra and Devendra Bundela – essentially the MP batting’s engine-room – back to the dressing room in no time.Earlier Karthik was bold in his strokeplay, despite having only the tail for support. Yo Mahesh, M Rangarajan and L Balaji all frustrated the MP bowlers, while Karthik went from strength to strength. After the debuant Amarjeet Singh failed to latch on a hard-hit return catch when Karthik was on 89, the former Tamil Nadu captain progressed to make 156. For MP, Ishwar Pandey finished with 4 for 123 off nearly 40 overs. Zafar Ali, the MP opener, witnessed three partners depart before stumps, leaving plenty for the visitors to do on the third day to match TN’s score.Gritty half-centuries from Sourav Ganguly and Anustup Majumdar put Bengal well on course to take a first-innings lead against Baroda at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. It was an eventful day for Ganguly who started the morning by wrapping up the Baroda innings while he finished with figures of 3 for 1. But Bengal were in for a rude jolt when they were wobbling at 98 for 4, which included the wicket of Manoj Tiwary, who had scored a century in each of his previous three matches. Bengal lost their opener Jayojit Basu to the left-arm seamer Gagandeep Singh, before Firdaush Bhaja had Arindam Das caught in the slips. Shreevats Goswami’s boundary-filled 38 came to an end when he nicked Gagandeep to the keeper. Gagandeep struck again when he had Manoj Tiwary caught at cover.Luckily Ganguly found a stable partner in Majumdar and the paired added vital 93 runs for the fifth wicket before the former Indian captain retired hurt due a left hamstring pull. Till then, Ganguly had 60 runs to his credit including nine fours. Majumdar, who ended the day unbeaten on 71, added a further 73 with Laxmi Shukla before stumps.Gujarat just about managed to take a slender first-innings lead of 21 runs against Haryana in Surat. Resuming on 46 for 1, the Gujarat top order showed an appalling lack of discipline and application, with no one managing even a half century. Luckily for the team, Pratharesh Parmar and Manprit Juneja showed some resistance, adding 63 for the fifth wicket, to help Gujarat to match Haryana’s score. For Haryana the job was done by India legspinner Amit Mishra and the debutant offspinner Jayant Yadav, as the pair took three wickets apiece to peg the hosts back. The other debutant, Mohit Sharma, took two wickets.Haryana erased the deficit of 21 by ending the day on a healthy 61 for no loss. If Gujarat lose this match, they would be relegated to the Plate division. And with the pitch aiding the spinners, a result seems likely. “The match is wide open and any target above 250-275 is going to be difficult to chase in the fourth innings on this ground with the wicket taking spin,” Jayendra Saigal, the Gujarat coach, said. “Our batsmen did not do justice to their talent today.”